Always, the Masters seems to revolve around anniversaries. That’s the way it is with celebrations cared for by folks who consider it their sacred duty to uphold tradition and pay tribute to days of yesteryear.
Anchored by those beliefs, the 2008 Masters gets underway today at Augusta National GC in Augusta, Ga., and nary a soul taking note of the tournament hasn’t heard something about it being the 50th anniversary of the birth of a king, a victory by Arnold Palmer.
What they need to know, too, is that 60 years ago it was about a beloved father, a victory by Claude Harmon.
Palmer would go on to shape the game, so far as the public is concerned, and it would be foolhardy to think that his impact on the PGA Tour isn’t as great as any other individual’s. But let it be said that years before Palmer arrived, Harmon had, in his own way, helped give the game shape and so, too, is his impact on golf still being felt. You could argue that he’s the most important teacher the game has ever known, but what isn’t open for debate is this: His Masters victory in 1948 remains a celebratory cause for his sons.
“For years, we used dad’s win to make the Masters a chance for us all to get together,” said Butch Harmon, the oldest of Claude’s four sons, all of whom followed their father into the business of teaching the game. “We were proud of that history.”
Said Billy Harmon, the youngest: “I don’t know how many people have won the Masters, but I know it’s not many. That means there aren’t many children of Masters winners. It’s special to be part of that history.”
Tomorrow will mark the 60th anniversary of that Sunday when Harmon shot a 2-under 70 to complete a stunning 9-under 279 trip around Augusta National to win by five shots over Cary Middlecoff. Stunning not because his talents were not appreciated - “He was a good player. No doubt about that,” said 1968 Masters champ Bob Goalby - but because the rigors of the PGA Tour were a way of life for his friends, not for Harmon, a native of Savannah, Ga.

boston.com

AUGUSTA, Ga. — It started under a cloak of fog normally reserved for the British Open, but we are under way here at the 72nd Masters. The leaderboard is a mix of familiar names, former champions and future unknowns, but as we’ve learned from years of experience that doesn’t make much difference until we get to the weekend, right?
After all, the tournament can’t be won on a Thursday — but it can be lost.
Now that the tournament has started, golf is only one of the stories here. Paying honor to some of the games greats — and goodness knows this place embraces its traditions — was a central theme this morning.
Arnold Palmer hit the first shot of the tournament, blasting a drive through the cake-batter like fog that delayed the tournament for roughly 40 minutes. The blinding weather coverage did allow Palmer to relive his glorious past and hit the ball out sight.
Gary Player made history here this morning, making his 51st Masters start. Wow.
That’s about all for now, but I plan on checking back later today (hopefully before 4 p.m.). See you then.

timesfreepress.com

Thompson will be paired with two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw in the first and second round but should be over his case of nerves after playing a practice round with Phil Mickelson on Tuesday.
“It was just good to see where his game is right now and for me to kind of see where my game can potentially go,” Thompson said. “He played very, very well and hit some shots that were very impressive. And it just made me look forward to getting out and playing professional golf and practicing more. He was a great guy and we had a lot of fun.”
Thompson, an All-American who is one of 20 Division I golfers on the Jack Nicklaus Award watch list as the collegiate golfer of the year, earned the invitation a year ago after finishing second in the U.S. Amateur. He left for Augusta on Saturday and is one of three amateur golfers competing in the event, along with Virginia Tech junior Drew Weaver and Trip Kuehne.
“I’m thrilled,” said Thompson, who plans to wear his Crimson Tide golf gear each day in his first professional golf tournament. “It’s an honor to be in this situation, to have an opportunity to play in the Masters, a tournament I grew up watching on TV, playing with the guys I see on TV week in and week out.”
Participants are allowed to practice on the course leading up to the event and Thompson has made five previous trips to Augusta National before he arrived at the course last Saturday. Since then, he has shared accommodations with Weaver and Kuehne in the famed “Crow’s Nest,” a dorm-style room located on the third floor of the Augusta National Clubhouse that is reserved for the amateurs.
On Monday evening, the amateurs were treated to a dinner in their honor.

montgomeryadvertiser.com

The Champions Tour has the week off because of that little tournament in Augusta, Ga. But 10 players with ties to Augusta National Golf Club won’t be taking a break from golf. Instead, they will head to the Masters Tournament to try to recapture some of their past glory.
Of the 10 active Champions Tour players in the Masters field, five are in the World Golf Hall of Fame. A perfect 10 out of 10 have a Green Jacket and four have more than one.
Gary Player has both the most wins and the most appearances with three and 50, respectively. When he tees it up on Thursday, Player will set the record for most starts in the tournament by any player in history. His first win at one of the world’s most popular sporting events came in 1961 and marked a ground-breaking time for International players since Player was the first non-American to win on the azalea-speckled grounds. He captured the trophy again in 1974 and 1978.
Raymond Floyd will be there for his 42nd time and won in 1976 by a whopping eight strokes (that record wasn’t broken until Tiger Woods came along in 1997). Floyd has 11 top-10 finishes compared to Player’s 15.
Tom Watson slipped into his two Green Jackets in 1977 and 1981. Watson played in his 33rd Masters last year and would have made the cut if not for a triple bogey on the 36th hole.
Craig Stadler did make the cut in 2007, his 29th year in the event. Stadler captured his Masters title in 1982, a season when he won four times on the PGA TOUR.
Stadler wasn’t the only player older than 50 to make the cut last year — two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw and 1979 winner Fuzzy Zoeller did as well. Crenshaw created one of the most memorable Masters memories when he captured an emotional win in 1995 despite the loss of his long-time friend and teacher Harvey Penick earlier that week. Zoeller and Crenshaw are back in Augusta for the 2008 tournament.

pgatour.com